Cheesy Shells
Cheesy Shells by Hill Country Fare has 5 tracked ingredients, with an overall safety score of 4 out of 5, in line with the 4.12/5 average across all scored products, and 1 of its ingredient carries a low safety rating.
- Safety score in line with the 4.12/5 average across all scored products
- NOVA processing classification: group 4
Undefined
How This Score Is Built
This 1-5 scale is an editorially-derived index, not an official government rating -- it synthesizes FDA status, EU regulatory status, US state actions, and published research. For Cheesy Shells, 5 of its 5 tracked ingredients carry a scored rating so far, current as of 2026-09-07.
Data draws on Open Food Facts, FDA, and EU regulatory records -- cross-check with the FDA → directly, or read how we score it.
Where Cheesy Shells sits nationally
Average ingredient safety score vs. 58,710 other scored products in PlainIngredients
4 Top 80% higher than 20% of 58,710 scored products
Average ingredient safety score (1 = highest risk, 5 = safest), bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more scored products. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source PlainIngredients ingredient safety index · 2026-09-07
- Monosodium Glutamate - Safety score: 2/5
Ingredient Safety Breakdown
Processing Level
Ultra-processed products are formulations made mostly or entirely from substances derived from foods and additives. They typically contain ingredients not commonly used in home cooking.
Full Ingredients List
ENRICHED MACARONI PRODUCT (DURUM FLOUR, NIACIN, IRON [FERROUS SULFATE], THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBIFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WHEY, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, ENZYMES MODIFIED CHEDDAR CHEESE AND BUTTER (CHEDDAR CHEESE [MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES], BUTTER [CREAM, SALT, COLOR (ANNATTO EXTRACT)] CHEESE CULTURE, ENZYMES), CORN STARCH, SALT, PALM OIL, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: BUTTERMILK, BLUE CHEESE (CULTURED MILK, SLAT, ENZYMES), MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, SUGAR, LACTIC ACID, CODIUM PHAOSPHATE, SODIUM CASEINATE, REDUCED-LACTOSE WHEY, COLOR (YELLOW 5, YELLOW 5 LAKE, YELLOW6), CITRIC ACID, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, EMULSIFIER (MONOGLYCERIDES), GUAR GUM, PRESERVATIVES (TBHQ), SODIUM SILICOALUMINATE.
Compare beyond brand
Nationwide peers by additive safety & ingredient depth
Two PlainIngredients-derived comparison paths for Cheesy Shells: nearest mean mapped additive safety score and nearest mapped ingredient count among indexable products with at least 3 scored additives, excluding same-brand siblings. Scores describe regulatory and research signals on additives, not dietary advice.
Similar mean additive safety
Nearest products by average mapped safety score. This record: 4/5.
Similar mapped ingredient depth
Nearest products by count of scored mapped additives. This record: 5.
Product Details
- Brand
- Hill Country Fare
- Barcode
- 0041220672820
- NOVA Group
- 4 — Ultra-processed foods
- Available In
- United States
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Frequently asked questions
Where does Cheesy Shells rank on ingredient safety?
Among the 58,710 PlainIngredients products with a scored ingredient list, Cheesy Shells's 4/5 average puts it in the lower 80%, in line with the 4.12/5 average across all scored products.
How should Cheesy Shells's 4/5 score be read?
The 1-5 scale (5 safest) comes from FDA and EU regulatory status per ingredient. Cheesy Shells's mapped ingredients average out to 4/5, which is the Low Risk tier.
Every figure on PlainIngredients is rendered directly from FDA, EU, EFSA and U.S. state regulatory records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.